Sea View League : Corona del Mar Comes Up Short at Buzzer as Estancia Holds On, 40-39

Nearly all of the estimated 1,500 fans in the Estancia High School gym let out a cheer Friday night when Corona del Mar’s Bob Zimmer threw in a 40-foot shot at the buzzer.

The Sea King fans sprang to their feet because they thought Zimmer’s shot had sent the game into overtime. The Eagle fans cheered because they knew their team had won, 40-39.

No more than four points had separated the teams in the final five minutes, and Corona del Mar blew several opportunities to tie the game. The reaction on Corona del Mar’s side of the court was just wishful thinking on the Sea King fans’ part.

They wished the basket had come a few seconds earlier, when Corona del Mar trailed by just two points and had a chance to tie. Some may have wished there was a three-point play in high school basketball.

But Estancia’s Todd Mooney made the first free throw in a one-and-one situation with eight seconds left to give the Eagles a three-point lead and assure them of the victory.

The Sea Kings then grabbed the rebound on Mooney’s second shot, and Zimmer’s one-hand toss from near-midcourt went in. But it wasn’t enough.

The win enabled the fourth-ranked Eagles (8-1 league, 20-2 overall) to remain in a first-place tie with Newport Harbor, while the Sea Kings (6-3, 14-6) dropped into a tie for third place with Saddleback.

Estancia won despite playing the final six minutes without its leading scorer Scott Clements, who scored 17 points before being thrown out of the game after a minor altercation with Zimmer.

Sea View League

League Overall School W L W L Estancia 8 1 20 2 Newport Harbor 8 1 17 3 Corona del Mar 6 3 14 6 Saddleback 6 3 13 7 Laguna Beach 4 5 7 11 Costa Mesa 2 7 7 12 Woodbridge 2 7 4 11 University 0 9 3 15

Clements had grabbed a rebound and was harassed by Zimmer, who went over Clements’ back in an attempt to force a jump ball. Clements, obviously bothered by Zimmer’s tactics, responded with one swift punch to Zimmer’s side.

Referee Al Hackney responded by issuing Clements a flagrant technical foul, which is accompanied by an automatic ejection and a two-shot foul. Clements then protested to Hackney and was slapped with a second technical.

“I guess I hit him a little,” said Clements, whose aggressive play helped solidify his reputation as the the league’s hit-man. “It was a terrible call. He (Zimmer) was holding on to my arm and wouldn’t let go, even after the whistle. I was just trying to get free.”

Zimmer made two of the three technical free throws to pull Corona del Mar within one, 34-33, but that was as close as the Sea Kings would come.

Richie Stamps’ jumper put Estancia ahead by three and Adam Lockwood’s three-point play at the 4:31 mark gave the Eagles a four-point lead, 39-35. Estancia then went into its four-corner offense and nearly blew the game.

Stamps lost possession on a traveling violation, and the Sea Kings took advantage on Jeff Fryer’s jumper, which brought Corona del Mar to within two, 39-37, with 1:57 left.

Stamps was then called for an offensive foul, which gave the Sea Kings a chance to tie it, but Rick Smirl missed a jumper. On the other end, Corona del Mar’s Sean Turner made a steal, and the Sea Kings called timeout with 36 seconds left.

They had knocked 25 seconds off the clock when Smirl drove to the basket and missed a reverse layup with eight seconds to go. Mooney snared the rebound, was fouled, and made one free throw to seal Estancia’s win.

Corona del Mar’s Fryer, the team’s best shooter, scored a team-high 17 points, but he didn’t take any of the Sea Kings’ crucial shots in the final two minutes.

“We were trying to get the ball to Jeff or Zimmer, but our plays never materialized,” Corona del Mar Coach Jack Errion said. “The kid (Smirl) didn’t make a bad play (on the final drive). His shot just didn’t go in.”

The Sea Kings had a five-point halftime lead (23-18) but went cold in the third quarter when they made just 3 of 14 shots from the floor. Estancia outscored Corona del Mar, 14-6, in the period to take the lead.

CORONA DEL MAR (39)--Zimmer 12, Fryer 17, Morris 8, Turner 2.

ESTANCIA (40)--Lockwood 12, Stamps 7, Mooney 4, Clements 17.